The Sanae Kochiya Disappearance Case
by MPCasio
Summary: An in-universe article from the Outside World about Sanae Kochiya's disappearance and its following impact on Japanese society.


**The Sanae Kochiya Disappearance Case**

Sanae Kochiya (東風谷 早苗) was a Japanese high-school student and shrine maiden who

disappeared in Okaya on August 17, 2007. The unexplained nature of her disappearance shocked the Japanese population and became a heavily sensationalized case in media, giving origin to documentaries and fictionalized accounts of the incident.

**Background**

Sanae Kochiya was born in May 20, 1991 in the Kagawashihigashi district of Okaya, Nagano Prefecture. She attended a elementary school and went to a high school in the same area. Sanae was considered a star student with major interests in science. She was ranked fourth in a class of fifty-three students. While her personal school life wasn't well detailed, some accounts described her as an outgoing and bright person who had a good relationship with her fellow classmates and teachers, even being a member of the science and anime and manga clubs.

In 2004, at age 14, Sanae started her duties as the Moriya Shrine's main shrine maiden thanks to her family's relations with the Great Suwa Shrine. Common myths around followers was that she possessed the ability to "create" miracles. She also claimed she was the distant descendant of the Shrine's god, therefore being a _Arahitogami_.

**Disappearance**

In the morning of August 17, 2007, her absence from class was reported by a teacher at her high school. The school warned about Sanae's absence to her parents later in the morning. Her father attempted to call her cell phone throughout the day to no avail. Accounts describe that her parents called her at least thirty times. They called the police at around noon about their daughter disappearance.

The family explained to interrogators that Sanae appeared to have no personal problems in any of her social circles, and described her as a "happy and lovingly person who enjoyed the company of her family and friends." The Nagano Prefectural Police filed the claim as a possible kidnapping case, and the investigation was launched soon afterwards.

**Investigation**

Nagano investigators have been able to create a detailed walkthrough of Sanae's activities and route she took in the morning of August 17. Witnesses have informed officers that they had seen Sanae around the town during school hours, and two other accounts have confirmed sightings of her entering the Moriya Shrine.

At 7 AM, Sanae was seen leaving her family house in a school uniform. Her route diverged from her regular schedule at around 7:30 AM, when she took the opposite street from where the school was. She entered a convenience store at around 8 AM for unknown reasons and left at around 8:17 AM. Shortly after, she was seen at the Okaya Junction, and was reported entering the Moriya Shrine at around 8:40 AM, where she disappeared.

Over one thousand people were heard by the Nagano police, including her classmates and school members.

Along with witnesses, police inspectors also found her cell phone thrown in a garbage can next to the convenience store she was seen entering. In the subsequent years, ten new pieces of evidence were found by over forty investigators assigned to the case.

In November 2008, the case was changed from kidnapping to disappearance, due to the lack of evidence that proved Sanae was taken away by an aggressor. Thanks to the abolishment of the statute of limitation in 2010, the investigation is still ongoing. By 2018, twelve inspectors were still assigned to the case. It's considered one of the longest ongoing cases in the history of Japan.

The Nagano Prefectural Police is currently offering a reward of 10 million yen for anyone who can provide clues or help the department to close the case.

In March 2019, over ten years after Sanae Kochiya's disappearance, a private investigator hired by the Kochiya family found a diary belonging to Sanae in the woods behind the Moriya Shrine. It was left with the police for forensic analysis. At the moment, no information related to the diary has been released.

**Suspects**

During the time the case was seen as a possible kidnapping, the police had the Shrine members and followers as the prime suspects of her disappearance due to the Shrine being the last place she was seen. Because of this, it suffered a notable loss of followers and popularity. In a official statement, a Grand Suwa Shrine spokesperson said "The Grand Suwa Shrine and its minor shrines deny any involvement in the disappearance of the shrine maiden Sanae Kochiya. We also have faith no follower of this chain of shrines partook in any similar damning actions towards an innocent person. We are giving all of our faith to the gods so they may assist the police in finding her, and for her safety."

Some media publications and investigators also had her family as possible motivators behind her disappearance. This theory increased in popularity after the police changed the case file from kidnapping to disappearance. Investigators couldn't find any correlation between the Kochiya family and Sanae's disappearance, but the theory still continued to be disseminated by tabloids and other media outlets.

School students were also interviewed by officers. They couldn't find any correlation between school peers and Sanae's disappearance.

**Legacy**

Media frenzy was strong during the first months of investigation. The case was named the Sanae Kochiya Disappearance Case (高知屋早苗失事件 _Kochi-ya Sanae shitsu jiken_.) Multiple reports, films, books and documentaries were made about the incident. It has been compared to other long running cases like the murder of the Setagaya Family in December 2000.

With the status of the case changing, media outlets became interested in the victim's family. Neighbors and fellow close relatives of the family have been interviewed by different channels and media over the years. Sanae's mother and father refused to give any interviews since then.

Initially, Sanae's name was kept in secret and only known as "Girl A" as standard procedure of Japanese Law in relation to juvenile victims and criminals. However, according to journalist and media student Ito Otsuka, her real name was being circulated around forums and boards on the internet since December 2007. In January 2008, a weekly magazine from Tokyo published her real name.

A fictional account of the event was made as a book by author Sumio Kurumizawa in 2010. A year later it was adapted into a motion picture, directed by Makoto Kotonoha and with Rei Mizuno as the lead. In both accounts, Sanae's name was changed to "Sanae Kotiya." It caused controversy due to the stories showing Sanae's family as being dysfunctional and motivating Sanae's disappearance, a regular theme of the director. The family sued the director and the distribution company for misrepresentation. The situation was settled outside of the court for an undisclosed amount of money.

Sanae's disappearance also inspired the film "A Girl in The Wind" released in 2009 and directed by Koshi Yong. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 2010.


End file.
